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Contestants had a taste of blind housemate Mikey Hughes’s life when Big Brother made them wear goggles which blacked out their sight.

Mikey was born partially sighted but became blind when he haemorrhaged during an operation to remove a cataract when he was 23.

The housemates were put in pairs and one was blindfolded while the other helped them adapt to life without sight. After three hours, they swapped places.

Mikey’s job was to choose the pairs and to act as an adviser during the day.

He quickly noticed they soon got bored without their sight.

“I don’t know what stimulates me,” the 33-year-old radio producer said. “I’ve kind of been bored for the last 10 years now that I can’t see. It’s odd – nothing seems to really stimulate me.”

Luke Marsden asked what would stimulate him and Mikey replied: “I don’t know. Probably getting my sight back, to be honest. Because when I could see, it was so visual and all that. And when you’ve not got your sight, everything just vanishes.

“Although I like doing things, I don’t enjoy it as much and it’s all quite boring.”

The housemates realised how hard life must be for Mikey while they wore the goggles. As Darnell Swallow guided Luke around the house he said: “You know we always put our cups on the floor? Imagine there’s cups there. How’re you supposed to not kick them over?”

Luke replied: “I think we’ll all learn something from this. I just knocked over a cup.”